Women from all areas of campus attended the Curate conference this past Saturday.
Courtesy | SAB
Hillsdale students, grads, and community convened Feb. 4 for the fourth annual Curate Women’s Summit.
The half-day event began in the Searle Center with a breakfast buffet. Participants had the chance to mingle and chat before the introductory talk by Dean of Women Rebekah Dell. They then split up for four breakout sessions, punctuated by a catered Handmade lunch. Featuring 15 talks and one panel discussion, Curate 2023 drew speakers from the Hillsdale faculty, community, and alumni, with topics such as “Homemaking as a Liberal Art,” “Women’s Health,” “Things I Wish My Mother Had Taught Me,” and “Cultivating Hospitality.”
“When we started four years ago, it was from the desire to answer a lot of the questions we were hearing in the world of student affairs,”Dell said.
In response, Dell and her team tapped into the rich resource of women in the Hillsdale community.
“The lineup of speakers was really built around what’s resonated with women before, and the things women have said they’d love to hear,” Dell said.
In addition, she highlighted Curate’s focus on practicality.
“Part of it isn’t just having a conversation, but knowing where to go with the conversation, and feeling like you know how to take next steps,” Dell said. “There are a lot of bad messages out there right now. Women have to figure out how to sort through what’s good wisdom, and what’s trendy.”
Appropriately, the theme of the summit was “Rooted.” Speakers aimed to teach young women how to examine their fundamental desires and grow through involvement in their community. They urged women to look toward the future while emphasizing the importance of putting goals into practice in the present.
In her talk “Homemaking as a Liberal Art,” Elizabeth Schleuter encouraged her audience to pursue the role of motherhood, even after receiving a college education. Schleuter explained that nothing students do at Hillsdale will be wasted if they choose to pursue homemaking. She encouraged women to continue growing in excellence.
Curate kickstarted the mentorship process by giving students a wide array of dynamic, grounded female role models.
“It was really wonderful to see the different ways that they’ve embraced a common feminine vocation, while pursuing it very differently,” freshman Maria Schmid said.
Assistant Professor of Modern European History, Anna Vincenzi, delivered a talk titled“On Motherhood and Work.” In it, she encouraged young women to find fulfillment through prioritizing their families and relationship with God, while also working in an area where they can have great personal growth, inside or outside of the home.
“Be open to the vocation God calls you to,” Vincenzi said. “Don’t be scared about how you’re made.”
Schmid explained her first Curate experience was very dignifying.
“I was really impressed with the setup and all the effort they put into making us feel special.”
Every part of the day celebrated womanhood, with the opportunities to learn and build relationships, and a thoughtful selection of gifts for participants, including stationary and “Every Moment Holy,” a book of liturgies for daily life.
Equipped with new wisdom and joy, participants left the summit Saturday afternoon with concrete resolutions and a greater appreciation of the gift of womanhood.
“I feel inspired to cultivate hospitality and develop virtue more intentionally, because those will bring a lot to bear on the way I live my life in the future,” Schmid said.
